The use of suction canisters in the medical field is widespread. The process of medical and surgical suction finds many applications within the modern health care facility. Surgical and obstetrics departments, emergency rooms, intensive care sections, oral surgery departments, and general patient care areas all have daily need for suctioning capabilities. Beneficial aspects of clinical suction include the removal of load, mainly liquids, small solids, combinations of unwanted tissues, mucopurulent matter, and air-foam or froth. Load is removed from a location harmful to the patient into a convenient, microbially safe receiving vessel where it may ultimately undergo examination, evaluation and measurement prior to final aseptic disposal.
All clinical suction systems have common components. A suction tip, sometimes referred to as the sucker or catheter, is applied to the patient and is connected via tubing to the inlet side of the collection vessel. The collection vessel or suction canister serves as the intermediate source of vacuum which receives aspirated material and allows air passage through its exit portal. It is connected to the vacuum source via tubing and may pass air through some form of pressure regulating device. The presence of a flow shut-off to prevent liquid being drawn through the exhaust opening is a desirable component which can be fabricated to reduce any possibility of user removal or product non-function through user misconnection.
As is well appreciated by the medical community, any substance which originates from the human body must be considered as potentially capable of containing, and thereby of transmitting, microorganisms associated with body flora. Within a receiving vessel, such as a suction canister, organic body substances can serve as growth substrate if allowed to incubate, thereby increasing bacterial population within the vessel. Extent of such overgrowth will depend, of course, upon how long the collector is allowed to stand at room temperature prior to emptying it.
From pathologic body sites, the microbial content of suction load may be quite high and contain sufficient pathogens. Bacterial content of abscesses can include Clostridium, Bacteroides and Straphylococcus. The respiratory tract can contain Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Serratia and a variety of gram negative commensal organisms. The female genito-urinary tract can contain a polymicrobic flora similar to that of the intestinal tract plus Herpes virus. According to the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAH), any blood or serous fluid must be considered as potentially hazardous and capable of transmitting hepatitis virus. If not adequately contained, the material aspirated from the human body has distinct infectious potential when not properly handled.
In light of the above, there now exists commercially available materials which act to solidify and disinfect aspirated materials contained within suction canisters. One such product is offered by Isolyser Company, Inc. as its Liquid Treatment System under its trademark LTS.RTM. granular absorbent.
Unfortunately, the introduction of a suitable granulated immobilizing agent to the interior of a vacuum canister is not without its own problems. On the one hand, exposing the interior of a vacuum canister containing potentially hazardous fluids itself represents a health risk to the medical practitioner. Even without this risk, various granulated immobilizing agents can easily spill when transfer is made between the absorbent containing vessel or reservoir to the vacuum canister which would, by necessity, be within the vicinity of the patient and potentially sensitive electromechanical equipment used for patient monitoring and control. Such spillage would be unacceptable in today's typical modern health care facilities.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a means for introducing suitable immobilizing agents to the interior of a vacuum canister while preventing any potentially hazardous aspirated material from inadvertently being spilled.